• Manchester United has signed a multi-year deal with Marriott International, with multi-platform marketing including access to on-field & player experiences for 120M members of the Marriott BonVoy travel program.

• PepsiCo is acquiring the CytoSport supplements brand from Hormel, which includes the Muscle Milk line.

• MLS Los Angeles Galaxy has signed a deal naming Mescal El Silencio, a specially crafted mezcal label based in Los Angeles, as an official partner for the team and its venue, Dignity Health Sports Park. The alliance, being called the first mescal deal for a pro sports team, includes a Mezcaleria El Silencio bar on the main concourse.

• MLS FC Dallas has signed a pact naming Heineken as the official import beer for the club and Toyota Stadium. The alliance also make Heineken USA a founding partner for the National Soccer Hall of Fame, which recently opened in Toyota Stadium.

• Lisa Borders, who in October resigned from her position as president for the WNBA to become president and CEO for Time’s Up, has now resigned from that position, citing family situations.

Janaury 15, 2019: To help support its new role as presenting sponsor for ESPN’s NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by HyperX Gaming, eSports gamer brand HyperX Gaming is launching its first national and global marketing campaign, a multi-platform effort entitled, “We’re All Gamers.”

The campaign also features professional gamers including Shroud, Pokimane and Cloud9’s Rush.

“I’ve had fans make their own avatars of me before, so it feels good to finally have an official one that I helped create and inspire,” said Fox via the company.

The spot depicts each in real life using HyperX equipment and then morphing into video game versions of themselves.

“The ‘We’re All Gamers’ campaign was developed to introduce HyperX to passionate NBA and gaming fans,” Daniel Kelley, corporate marketing director, HyperX, said via the brand, the gaming division of Kingston Technology.

“Our gaming influencer’s creativity exuded and helped us to develop their HyperX-illustrated gaming spirits in the 2019 campaign.”

The spot breaks during the fourth season of ESPN’s NBA Saturday Primetime on ABC presented by HyperX Gaming on Jan. 19, with the Houston Rockets hosting the Los Angeles Lakers.

It will continue to air through the regular season, playoffs and then NBA Finals on ABC and ESPN.

HyperX will also be integrated into game time outs, while ESPN’s SportsCenter will feature HyperX virtual set integrations several times throughout the NBA season.

The extended 60-second spot will also air in 6-, 15- and 30-second versions.

HyperX said it expects to expand the campaign to include more influencers and celebrities throughout the year, "including soccer players and others who are passionate about gaming."

The integrated global "We’re All Gamers" campaign in 2019 is “expected to be the first of many new activities in promoting the HyperX brand to consumer and lifestyle audiences,” according to HyperX.

Support includes digital and social media.

Lead agency is Envoy.

“Seeing how HyperX transformed me for this campaign was so cool,” Hayward said via HyperX. “Gaming brings out the competitor in me, and I’m excited for everyone to see that come to life here.”

According to Embiid, “No matter what I’m playing, I like to win. HyperX has captured that spirit with my gaming persona

“Watch me dominate.”

HyperX, which has naming rights to the Esports Arena Las Vegas at The Luxor, already has NBA alliances as the official gaming headset for the NBA 2K League and with teams including the Sixers, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz.

ABC’s NBA coverage also continues with the return of NBA Sunday Showcase on ABC presented by Mountain Dew Ice on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, with the Celtics hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder.